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Welcome to the 141th issue of the Cool Tricks and Trinkets Newsletter offering weekly insights into new, cool, useful, fun, unusual and interesting sites on the Internet. In this issue: - Printmaking Printmaking By definition, a print is 'a work of art made up of ink on paper' that is accomplished through an 'indirect transfer process'. Printmaking has been around for over a millennium, and can be traced all the way back to ninth-century China. The art of print has evolved across many different cultures and into a myriad of forms, from the Renaissance period to nineteenth-century lithography to modern screen-printing. Sponsored by The Museum of Modern Art, this website is a complete exhibition filled with fine galleries that contain fascinating examples of printmaking. It is broken up into four major categories (Woodcuts, Lithography, Etching and Screen printing), each with an extensive description of the individual medium as well as a display of previous works. Visitors will find the work of famous artists, from Gaugin toWarhol, as well as a wealth of breathtaking art created by lesser-known craftsmen. http://www.moma.org/whatisaprint Baseball Primer The sport of baseball is known as a 'National Pastime', a glorious game that has come to symbolize our culture and its' intrinsic passion for healthy competition. It has endured depressions and wars, strikes and controversies, all the while building larger-than-life heroes that inspire our children with dreams of home runs and ninth-inning comebacks. With the inception of BaseballPrimer.com, our great sport has finally found a suitable home on the Web. Baseball fans will find everything they've ever dreamed of, including intelligent articles on the sport, extensive stats, predictions, scouting reports and so much more. Don't miss the Transaction Oracle, a spiritual guide into the reasons behind a player's trade, dismissal or success. There is a lot to uncover at this site, so true fans should grab some peanuts and crackerjacks and get ready for extra innings. Closer to the Truth According to John Locke, consciousness is "the perception of what passes in a man's own mind." Others regard it as a kind of substance, or "mental stuff," quite different from the texture of the physical world and that which separates mankind from lower forms of life. Closer to Truth brings together leading scientists, scholars and artists to debate consciousness and other fundamental issues of our time. Visitors can read through great articles and online transcripts, participate in unique 'hyper-forum discussions', or simply browse the Video Archive. There is also a cool section called 'Daily News' that is constantly updated with stories and articles about interesting, often eccentric topics affecting people today. SHORT TAKES: Harper's Index Forget the profound articles, great short fiction, and hilarious excerpts; the best part of Harper's magazine is definitely the Index. This is the list of statistics at the beginning of each edition that contains facts that will make your jaw drop and your eyes pop. Faithful readers of the incomparable index now can go online for their monthly fix of absurd stats. The site is regularly updated with the current edition, and has an archive of hundreds of previous indexes. http://www.harpers.org/harpers-index/harpers-index.html <><><><> Phobias If you have an irrational fear of something specific (flying, insects, heights, etc.), then you may have what is commonly known as a phobia. Millions of people suffer from phobias, many of them severe enough to alter their lives. Phobialist is a deviously entertaining website that focuses on the lighter side of these very serious problems. There are some truly bizarre listings on the site, including Zemmiphobia, fear of the 'great mole rat', or our favorite, Ergophobia, fear of work. <><><><> Movie Mistakes: Take Two Have you ever watched a movie and noticed a few inconsistencies, like when an object (a pair of sunglasses, a vase, etc.) suddenly disappears in a scene only to magically reappear in a shot from another angle? Such blunders are now the subject of 'Movie Mistakes', a site that meticulously documents these errors from almost every major film of the last thirty years, including movies that are currently in theatres. Don't miss the famous Star Wars bungle, where an Imperial Stormtrooper bangs his head on a door, nearly rendering himself unconscious. http://www.movie-mistakes.co.uk Biography of America Despite our patriotic past, most Americans know very little about the history of their own country. High School U.S. History teachers often fail to impress on their students a true understanding of our country's amazing development from 'A Brave New World' into 'The Most Powerful Nation in the World'. This website is a wonderful tool that can be used to educate Americans both young and old about the fascinating evolution of the United States. The site is a companion piece to a television and educational series called 'Biography of America'. It has been aired in its entirety on PBS, as well as in classrooms all across America. The site traces our nation's past from its original citizens (Paleo-Indians) to modern American society, describing the events and influences surrounding each cultural period. Each time period is accompanied by telling pictures, streaming video, a map as well as links to related sites. This is a great website for parents and children to visit together. http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica Dull Men's Club If your idea of happiness consists of watching lawn sprinklers and baggage carousels twist and turn, then this is the perfect site for you. The Dull Men's Club is a safe spot in cyberspace where dull men can 'share their thoughts and experiences, free from the daily pressures to be 'in and trendy'. There is no flash or any other form of 'excitement' on the site; such high-energy features could ruin the perfectly dull environment of the club. The website of The National Council of Dull Men is as entertaining as it is, well, dull. There are a lot of quirky features, including dull jokes, pictures of tunnels, benches and airport carousels from all over the world, and individual diary entries and stories from dull dudes everywhere. Users can also take a series of tests to determine just how dull they really are; we hope for your sake that you fail. Guitar Central Ever since Jimi Hendrix gave life and genius to it, the guitar has been considered the coolest instrument around. It is the tangible symbol of Rock n' Roll, a glorified ukulele that, plugged or unplugged, delivers a bolt of severe emotion and energy to music. Guitar.com is the online haven for this coveted instrument's ambitious students, seasoned masters, and loyal fans. This website is nothing short of guitar heaven. There is a magazine's worth of cool articles, guitar-related discussion groups, access to personal instruction and great tips and tricks about playing the instrument. Check out the Chained Effects Generator, an interactive program 'designed to give you a basic idea of the sounds that characterize five stompbox effects'. Sneaker Sanctuary When I was a teenager, sneakers were the simplest footwear, worn daily as a testament to the reckless freedom of childhood. They were made of plain white canvas (with the essential red Nike 'swoosh'), had no see through soles, no glow in the dark stitching and definitely no air pumps. Today the sneaker has become a cultural icon, which pretty much guarantees that it has its very own tributary website. Charlie's Sneaker Page is a footwear flashback. The site includes a history of sneakers along with facts, descriptions, pictures and a glossary. There is even advice on how to dry wet sneakers. What the website lacks in style, it more than makes up for in content and nostalgia. Famous Last Words While actions usually speak louder than words, occasionally a person's final statements can resonate beyond anything he has done in his lifetime. A persons' last words can be humorous or sad, sentimental or angry, and are often poignant quotes that grasp the essential personality or situation of the soon-to-be deceased. Last Words is an engaging, highly entertaining compilation of famous deathbed lines, epitaphs, final wills and testaments, and farewell letters of famous real life and fictional characters. The quotes are accompanied with quick biographical notes about the subject's life and 'situation' (where they were when they died). Notable last words include Nostradamus' personal prediction and a convicted Nazi war criminal's wish for world peace. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/6537 If you're interested in advertising in Cool Tricks and Trinkets, email info@tricksandtrinkets.com SUBSCRIBERS' SITES - Many of our subscribers have fascinating on-line projects. This weekly section will introduce you to some of these sites. Please let me know about your project so that I might mention it in this section. Write me at info@tricksandtrinkets.com ~ Brendz Web Page - Dragonball Z info. Ka-me-ha-me-ha!! click here ~ Introduction To Natural Health And Healing - 6-week online course. click here ~ Laughing Gas - Original offbeat humor. click here ~ The Koala and the
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